§ 2.41 p.m.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose to the Geneva Disarmament Conference the neutralisation of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN)My Lords, the neutralisation of an area so vast, so varied and so hard to define would present such difficulties that I think it would be unattainable in practice. Measures of the sort proposed by the noble Lord are, however, primarily a matter for the countries most directly involved, many of whom are not members of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament; and the Conference has generally been concerned with measures of a world-wide rather than of a regional nature. In short, the answer to the noble Lord's question is, "No".
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. When he says that this is a matter in the first place for the countries concerned, is he aware that both India and Ceylon have asked for the neutralisation of the Indian Ocean? Further, is he aware that Malaysia has asked for the neutralisation of South-East Asia? Would not these proposals, made to the Geneva Conference which is a world-wide body, help us to solve constructively the difficult problem of South African arms?
§ THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIANMy Lords, I think that the problem of South African arms is slightly different from the subject of the Question on the Order Paper. I was trying to convey to the noble Lord that, although the question of the neutralisation of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia is obviously of great importance, I did not think that what he calls the Geneva Conference was the right body to put forward to discuss this matter, for the simple reason that countries such as Ceylon are not members of it.
§ LORD BLYTONMy Lords, is the noble Marquess aware that the Conservative argument is that the presence of Soviet ships in the Indian Ocean is a threat to our route around the Cape? Does he not think that if we achieved a neutralisation of the Indian Ocean, it would not be necessary then to argue about South African arms?
§ THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIANMy Lords, I am well aware of what the Conservative argument is on this mater. All I was trying to say was that I did not think that the C.C.D., sitting in Geneva, was the right body to deal with it. Without going into any detail on this matter, the noble Lord is no doubt aware that the Commonwealth Study Group is being set up as a result of the Prime Ministers' Conference in Singapore, and I should have thought that this was one of the points that will be sincerely discussed.
§ LORD TREVELYANMy Lords, irrespective of the desirability or undesirability of these proposals, would not the noble Marquess consider it better that the Disarmament Conference should be left to deal with disarmament?